DC Shoes and DC Clothing

DC shoes started life as original screen-printed T-shirts from 22 year old Californian snowboarder Ken Block, back in 1989. He initially called his clothing label 'Eightball' and, together with fellow Community College student and skateboarder Damon Way, began to market them. Fortunately for Ken, Damon had a brother - professional skateboarder Danny. He helped to promote the 'Eightball' brand by endorsing and wearing their T-shirts. With the designs becoming ever more popular and with a loan from Block's parents, Ken and Damon expanded the business, leading to the retailing of skateboarding shoes in 1994 and the rest - as they say - is history.

Back in '94, although Block and Way were selling skateboarding T-shirts and shoes, the DC brand had not yet seen the light of day. Their new range of footwear retailed under the name 'Circus Distribution'. From the beginning, DC Shoes recognised the power of having well-known skateboarders endorse their products. The firm's 8 man pro skateboarding team went on tour to promote the brand in 1997 and the line soon became known for high-profile promotional stunts to draw attention to its products in an increasingly competitive market. DC made good use of television advertising and introduced a line of children's footwear to satisfy youngsters who wanted to look like their skateboarding heroes Danny Way, Ryan Smith, Colin McKay and Anthony Van Engelen. By now, DC clothing had expanded its range of products to include jeans and snowboarding gear, capitalising on the rapid growth in the extreme sports market. Being so involved in the scene themselves, DC knew that several skateboarders were also into snowboarding and BMX bikes - and expanded their range accordingly.

The reputation of their footwear has always rested on the endorsement of well-known skateboarders who wear the shoes. DC shoes became recognised as a quality brand, offering supreme flexing capabilities, advanced padding and cushioning and hard- wearing construction capable of withstanding hours of full-on skateboarding. By the end of the 90's DC was exporting footwear all over the world, including selling products in Britain via DC shoes UK. The company made sure that not all shoes were readily available to the mainstream shopper. Certain styles were only to be found in Skateboarding shops for serious participants in the sport. The DC brand was acquired by surfing label Quiksilver in 2003, although it retains its links with high-profile sporting names, including stars of moto-cross and surfing.